Begin an Affair with these great wines tonight!
After a three year hiatus…Australia & California Shoot It Out Again!
The results of The California-Australia Wine Shootout® have finally been tallied, analyzed, and collated. Over 250 wines were critically reviewed during late July and early August. The finals were conducted on August 16, 2004. A panel of 14 wine professionals tasted the final round of the venerable California and Australian wines. Affairs of the Vine and Wine Works orchestrated this comparative judging.
California took top honors in six of the eleven categories and Australia in five. Australia prevailed in the Chardonnay, Merlot, Syrah/Shiraz, Other Reds, and Dessert categories and California won top honors in Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, Red Blends , Sauvignon Blanc, Sparkling Wines, and Other Whites.
Australia was also the big winner in the Bang for Your
Buck Wines - (72 wines selling for under $15 that
received 
or from our panel) - the top 3
are Australian!
Top Scoring Wines by Varietal Category:
Madfish 2003 Chardonnay, Western Australia, $14.99
75,248 cases produced
An elegant nose…bright acidity and an enduring palate.
(92.5)
Geyser Peak Winery 2003 Block Collection River Road Ranch Sauvignon Blanc, Russian River Valley, California, $19.00
…Yummy!
(93)
Eberle Winery 2003 Mill Road Viognier, Paso Robles, California, $18.00
A very aromatic wine…
(90)
St Supery Vineyards & Winery 2002 Limited Edition Rutherford Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley, California , $70.00
…A wine of depth and concentrated flavors. Pretty damn tasty!
(92)
Reynolds 2001 Reserve Merlot, Orange, New South Wales, Australia
…masculine style of Merlot with a good amount of depth and viscosity.
(90)
Pfendler Vineyards 2001 Copeland Creek Pinot Noir, Sonoma Coast, California, $29.99
…long finish with rounded tannins and a semi-silky mouthfeel.
(93)
Red Blends – 2 wines tied for first place
Clautiere Vineyard 2002 Mon Beau Rouge, Paso Robles, California, $27.00
…Thick and juicy
(93)
St Supéry Vineyards 2000 Élu, Napa Valley, California, $50.00
…masculine and nicely balanced.
(93)
Shiraz Australia – 2 wines tied for first place
Lindemans 2003 Bin 50 Shiraz, South East Australia, $8.00
…rich and appealing.
(92)
Rosemount Estate Diamond 2002 Shiraz, Australia, $12.00
concentrated flavors…Nice finish!
(92)
Yangarra Estate Vineyard 2002 Old Vine Grenache, McLaren Vale, Australia, $20.00
600 cases produced
…A big bold wine with nicely integrated tannins that should age nicely.
(93)
Gloria Ferrer Blanc de Noirs, NV Sparkling, Sonoma County, California , $18.00
…grips the palate then dances.
(92)
De Bortoli 2002 Noble One Semillon, Australia, $25.99
A decadent dessert wine…A joy to drink!
(91)
The panel of judges included the following wine professionals: Raul Gallyot, Pleasures in Taste, Producer; Skip Hanson, Wine Works, writer, consultant; R. Anton Hicks, Nectar Wine Lounge, Managing Partner; Ray Johnson, TasteWine, wine writer, educator; David P. Jones, Wine Works, writer; Ellen Landis, Landis Shores Ocean Front Inn, Half Moon Bay; Ann Littlefield, New Vine Logistics; Patrick Melley, Russian Hill Winery, Winemaker; Kathe Morris, wine writer, educator; Sid Sall, wine consultant; Christopher Sawyer, WineX, wine writer; Walter Vornbrock III, V3 International, wine consultant; Rosina Wilson, WineX, editor; and Barbara Drady, Affairs of the Vine, wine writer, educator.
Our wine review process is unique within the industry as it utilizes the following approach:
The process and manner utilized by Affairs of the Vine for assessing and judging the entries is unique within competitions in that it employed the following procedures:
The tasting panels were comprised of a diverse range of wine industry professionals from varying disciplines including restaurant and retail trade, winemakers, wine writers, wine educators, and wine consultants.
All wines were tasted blind. How could you ever do it differently?
All wines were tasted without reference to producer, appellation or price.
Each wine was judged and reviewed on its own merit.
The wines were rated using a 100 point scale. The wines were placed into flights and evaluated by a team of judges. The top scoring wines selected by the team of judges were then submitted to the entire panel for review.
All wines reviewed indicate a numerical score and are
recommended from the with the following references:
Key:
= Love at First Sip
= An Affair to Remember
= Will Provide Fond Memories
If you see anything in these results which you think is
of interest or noteworthy, we would love to hear from you
and we will put as many comments up on our website as
possible. And remember, trust your own palate. It's
the only one that matters.
We will be conducting a blind tasting of the top scoring
wines in mid-January in San Francisco. If you would like
to receive an invitation to the event, please email
winelover@affairsofthevine.com